DB Hall of Fame

SOLO  FLIGHT

THE  CHARLIE  CHRISTIAN  LEGACY

DB Hall of Fame


 

 

MEMORIES OF YOU
 
Aircheck
 
OCTOBER  7,  1939     Saturday “CAMEL CARAVAN”
NBC Radio Network / WEAF
Radio City Studios,  NYC
 

 
  32  BARS    (AABA) Key of   E Quarter Note =   86 Time:   3:15
 
 
  2-Bar Intro  +  2  CHORUSES:
 
      2  bars  –  clarinet (Intro)
 
    32  bars  –  clarinet (Melody)
 
    16  bars  –  vibes
  32  bars  –  CC
      8  bars  –  clarinet (Melody)
 
a Jerry Newhouse recording 

 
Personnel:
 
  Benny Goodman Sextet
  CHARLIE CHRISTIAN Guitar
  BENNY GOODMAN clarinet
  LIONEL HAMPTON vibes
  FLETCHER HENDERSON piano
  ARTIE BERNSTEIN bass
  NICK FATOOL drums
 
 

Composed by: Eubie Blake  (lyrics by Andy Razaf)
 
©   VALDÉS   1/27/18


 

Transcription Page:     Memories of You   –  7 October 1939

 



C
&A:

Five different versions of Memories of You were recorded – all within a three-month period;  and all with the 1939 sextet in NYC, same personnel (Smack was reinstated as the sextet pianist for the concert) and routine:  one radio studio broadcast, one at a Waldorf-Astoria Hotel gig, two in the Columbia recording studio for possible commercial release, and one in concert at Carnegie Hall on Christmas Eve.  Goodman’s forte was playing the melody on ballads – his contributions to this tune are exemplary.

Charles’ usual method is to employ eighth notes in his solos.  On slower tunes he would use sixteenth notes in parts of his solos.  Memories of You is unique in that he applies sixteenth notes exclusively on all five versions.  And he plays much of the rhythm straight (not syncopated) on all five of his solos usually holding the swingin’ till the last bar.

Each and every one of Charlie Christian’s solos is beautifully put together.  Like whiffs of fresh air.  They arrive, exhilarate, and are quickly gone.

Oct 7, 1939
“Camel Caravan” broadcast from Radio City Studios

First recorded appearance of Memories of You turns up on a “Camel Caravan” broadcast.  Several singular phrases are found here that are not usually in other tunes.  A particularly interesting sequence is in bar 23 where Charles alternates G♭ and A♭ augmented arpeggios over the G♭9 leading to the concluding B♭9 measure.

Erudite reviews:

Jan Evensmo in The Guitars of Charlie Christian… (1976):
“The first of 5 versions of Memories…, slightly faster than the studio versions, and one of the best.”

Claude Carrière in Charlie Christian, Vol. 1 (1992) MJCD 24 liner notes:
“… a first rendering of the very pretty … Memories of You … offers no more than an 8-bar bridge from the guitarist, yet within those few seconds, Charlie displays his immense authority.  He weaves two superb phrases, then pauses at the fourth bar before fashioning a bold line in the lower register that completes the bridge…”

 



 
Issued Recordings:
 
  [ LP ] Queen-Disc Q-016 (side A, track 4)
 
  [ CD ] Definitive DRCD11177 (disc 1, track 9)
    JSP Records JSP909 (disc 1, track 9)
    Masters of Jazz MJCD 24 (track 13)
    Masters of Jazz< MJCD 9004 (disc 1, track 13)
    Proper P1491 (track 6)
    Proper PROPERBOX 98 (disc 3, track 6)
    Uptown UPCD 27.63 (track 6)
 

 



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